Archives for June, 2009

Today the motion for creating a dedicated committee to oversee science policy across Government was discussed in Parliament. Good news, we’re getting it back. The Campaign for Science & Engineering had this to say: The Campaign for Science & Engineering (CaSE) warmly welcomed the House of Commons’ decision to establish the Science and Technology Committee.…

9, a new animated feature produced by Tim Burton and directed by Shane Acker, comes out in September (09/09/09, naturally). Details are sketchy, but it’s safe to say in the world of 9, something has gone horribly wrong, the world has been destroyed, and the only survivors are some cute little sack people and an…

News just in: tomorrow’s issue of Nature will feature a full page ad donated by the magazine asking people to sign up to the campaign to keep libel laws out of science. Managed by Sense About Science, the petition has already collected over 12,000 signatures, from world-renowned scientists and journalists to informed and passionate members…

Thanks to the Deputy Dog blog for unveiling these awesome hidden towers of Nevada: Although they look like retro-futurist prefab apartments, the structures are actually the water intake towers for the Hoover Dam’s hydro-electric power station. The images were taken during the construction of the dam, and the towers are now mostly submerged in water.…

Researchers at the University of Washington have woven together chitosan and polyester to create a new material that can help to repair severed nerves. Chitosan, found in the shells of crabs and shrimp, was mixed with an industrial polyester; the hybrid fibre combines the biologically favourable qualities of the natural material with the mechanical strength…

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has issued a press release in response to the special report published by the IUSS last week: Responding to the IUSS Committee’s fourth special report of session 2008-9, “The future of science scrutiny following the merger of DIUS and BERR“, Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation said:…

As expected, the special report issued by the IUSS Committee recommends the creation of a dedicated committee overseeing science policy in the UK Government. See my report at the Guardian Science Blog: The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee issued a special report today calling on the government to safeguard scrutiny of science policy following…

Remember all the fun you had with the Great Sperm Race game a while back? Well, now you can step it up a level with Sperm Rider. In this game you play a delighted little guy in a cowboy hat, riding on a giant spermatozoa through a city drawn crudely in crayons. Using your “seed…

Lord Mandelson is insisting science and education won’t suffer under the Department for Business, rubbishing the idea that business-led investment and curiosity-led research are exclusive options. Zoe Corbyn speaks to Mandelson for Times Higher Education: Told by Times Higher Education that universities had reacted with “horror” to news that the business department would take over…